The Conjunction So…That

The correlative conjunction so…that… shows cause and effect.

Study the following sentences.

• It rained very heavily. As a result, the town went under water.

Here the first sentence refers to the cause that leads to the effect mentioned in the second sentence.

We can combine these two sentences using so…that…

• It rained so heavily that the town went under water.

More examples are given below.

• They arrived very late. They missed the first part of the show.
• They arrived so late that they missed the first part of the show.

• She spoke very rudely. I felt like slapping her.
• She spoke so rudely that I felt like slapping her.

• The food was delicious. We enjoyed it heartily.
• The food was so delicious that we enjoyed it heartily.

• He speaks very fast. I don’t understand half of what he says.
• He speaks so fast that I don’t understand half of what he says.

• He is very forgetful. Sometimes he doesn’t remember his own phone number.
• He is so forgetful that sometimes he doesn’t remember his own phone number.

• The pain was unbearable. I couldn’t sleep at all.
• The pain was so unbearable that I couldn’t sleep at all.

• She was very beautiful. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
• She was so beautiful that I couldn’t take my eyes off her.